2010 in Review

I can't believe New Year's Eve is tomorrow!

Goodbye, 2010! In the past year, I...

Turned 21!

Went to Santa Barbara with L. as my 21st birthday present.


Celebrated L.'s 21st.

Went to Hawaii for the first time ever! (And have been dying to go back ever since!)


Celebrated my one-year blogging anniversary.

Had an amazing summer in which L. and I officially tested the waters living together and I worked full-time at my wonderful job in publishing (which I'm going to miss so much!) Oh, and hung out with Justin Long too.

Started my senior year at Williams. (In the same year Williams was named the #1 college in America by Forbes! Yay Williams!)


Attended my brother's wedding.


Celebrated L.'s and my two year anniversary.

Went to my first ever NFL game (and first ever Packers game!)

. . .

Looking ahead to 2011, it is going to be a BIG one for me. In it, I will...

Turn 22 (the age to me that seems truly "adult-y")

Finish my thesis! Oh joyful day! (Here's hoping I can keep it under 100 pages...)

Have a fantastic Senior Week, which will include traveling with all my friends to Hilton Head, dinners, parties, champagne brunches, all culminating in the day I...

Graduate from college!!!

Pack everything I own in L.'s Subaru and move across the country/move in together.

Begin working full-time hopefully at the job of my dreams for which I'm interviewing in March (fingers crossed it all works out!)

Adopt a puppy (?!?!)

I can't wait. And I can't wait to share it all with you guys! Things can only get more interesting from here on out...

Reindogs

Life is good. I'm nestled comfortably at home, sipping on hot chocolate from the Keurig and nibbling a Lindt chocolate sampler, and since I'm feeling just so holly-jolly I thought it was the perfect time to share with you my afternoon a couple weeks ago with the Reindogs, especially since my own little Reindog, Abby, is snoring peacefully at my feet.

What's a Reindog, you ask? Well, obviously it's a dog dressed up like a reindeer. And Williamstown, being the tiny, weird, quirky, Stars Hollow (anyone get the reference? anyone?) town that it is, holds an annual Reindog parade every year, where anyone in town who has a dog can dress him or her up like a reindeer and march in the parade that goes down Spring Street, our only commercial street. There's also little kids, but I don't like them as much, and they definitely weren't as cute as the dogs.

This year, I got to be an elf, which essentially means I got to pass out candy canes to all the little kids along the parade route (well, that and being Santa's right hand man, obvi.), but the best part of the job was getting to judge the Reindogs and pick the winners!


YOU GUYS. There was a red wagon full of tiny Golden Retriever puppies! I think my heart literally exploded. There is NOTHING in this world cuter than a red wagon full of tiny Golden Retriever puppies.


This is who we picked to win for Best Temperament. She was so quiet and sweet! Love her.


All the Reindogs assembled on the steps of Chapin Hall on campus. Can you spot me? Hint: I'm dressed like Santa and wearing fantastic riding boots.


This is Caleb, the defending champion. I thought he should have won again and wanted to give him the prize, but Santa felt like "another dog deserved to win." Needless to say, I was outraged at the politics involved in the Reindog judging. Caleb was CLEARLY the most convincing Reindog. I felt like he was going to take off any minute.


FUTURE DOG ALERT. When we graduate in June, L. and I are getting a yellow Labradoodle. Well, I'M getting a yellow Labradoodle. L. is getting a black Labradoodle or a black Standard Poodle. They're going to be best friends.


I told you I live in Stars Hollow.


I can't even post any more. I am literally dying, they are so cute. There's my other potential future dog, over on the left.

Oh, and all images via iBerkshires.com, in case you couldn't tell by the giant watermarks that clearly indicate "don't steal these pictures and put them on your blog." Oh well.

Jim and Pam and Love and Babies

For those of you who have read this blog for awhile, you know that I have a slightly obsessive love for Jim and Pam, as evidenced here and here. Maybe because they're a lot like L. and me, in the way they/we got together, or maybe just because they're awesome.

Well, except for this season. After the wedding, Jim and Pam lost a little of the magic for me. And it is NOT because I was one of those Office fans who decided to just stop watching after the wedding. But the writers just turned Jim and Pam into bitchy, argumentative, cranky people! Especially when Jim was a co-manager--that, I just couldn't handle. They just got a little less awesome.

Maybe one of the least awesome things they've done is have a baby. I know that so many Office fans will read this, throw their computers across the room, and unsubscribe from my blog. Or maybe just be confused. But try to allow me to explain. They are so young! They didn't have any time to be young and married and in love, and to devote themselves to traveling and home DIY and just generally be awesome before this baby came along.

I mean, babies are kind of cute, I guess. But here's the thing about them. They stick around forever. You know? Clearly that's the thing about babies, but I think it's so obvious that people don't really think about it. When someone has a baby, it's all, oh look, so-and-so had a cute baby. But that baby grows into a kid, which grows into a teenager, which grows into an adult, which gets old. And that's your child, forever. It is the ultimate commitment. And for someone who's always been a little wary of that commitment thing anyway, that's terrifying. You can never change your mind! Talk about scary.

Honestly, the only time I think I'd ever regret not having a baby would be when I started to get on in years, and got lonely or sick, and wanted someone to care for me or keep me company. But being a little lonely in my old age seems to be a fair trade for getting all those glorious young 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s--to do whatever I want with my life. Travel, change careers, go back to school, move around, throw myself into my passions such as preventing animal cruelty, improve my house, write, go out for drinks with friends, splurge on great food, live abroad, follow my whims. That might sound selfish, but I work so hard to make sure I have a good education so that I can have a good life. I've worked this hard ever since I was very young, since I had a bad childhood and basically raised myself from the ages of 7-10. Sometimes people say, "Maybe that's why you don't want to have a child, since your experience with your own parents wasn't great." I don't think that's true at all. My adoptive parents, with whom I've been living since I was 12, are the most incredible people in the world, and I have a tremendous relationship with them. I know how strong that bond can be.

But I don't know. I just don't think I'll regret not having a baby, and I'm terrified I will regret it if I do. Isn't that scary?

PLUS there are so many gross side effects of pregnancy and childbirth that no one ever thinks of/talks about! Did you know most people poop all over the place while they're doing it? So what happens with that? Does everyone in the room just pretend not to notice? Do they change your sheets right away? Do you shower? No one talks about these things! And then there's the placenta...AND, depending on your insurance, just birthing the baby can cost $10,000!

Now, don't get me wrong--I've dreamed of my wedding since I was a little girl, and marrying the perfect man is one of my top priorities in life. I'm not completely anti-marriage, anti-domesticity. I just think having a great career and a great marriage can easily go hand in hand, even if small sacrifices such as letting one person follow his or her dream for a few years and then switching off have to be made. I think where the major sacrifices have to be made is when children come along.

I don't know. Maybe I'll change my mind. But I just have this feeling in my gut. Plus, I'm so awkward around children. I never know what to say or do. I never squeal over them.

If I ever do have children, I can already tell you what they'll look like. Want to meet them? They'll be...

A Black Lab named Jake...

A Goldendoodle named George Eliot (Some of you have seen her before...she is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!)

A Border Collie named Edie...

A Golden Retriever named Ellie (though she'll have to come long after my beloved Golden Abby, who I can't even think about losing someday)

And a Labradoodle named Teddy, obviousy, because he's such an overstuffed teddy bear.

With all those guys running around, who has time for kids, anyway?

Guest Post: Adopt-a-Pet (Help Work to Save a Life!)

Recently, I was contacted by Jeff Howard, from Adopt-a-Pet, a non-profit website that works to find homes for over 125,000 needy animals from over 8,000 animal shelters and human societies in the United States. He works on their blog, (you should check it out! It's great) and asked if I'd be interested in working together to promote the work they do.

Obvi!

I love dogs. I love them more than people, most of the time. They always want to be wherever you are and think that whatever you're doing is the coolest possible thing anyone has ever done. Since I've now resolved to have no children and only have lots and lots of dogs (think Robin from How I Met Your Mother,) I'm going to need a shelter that can provide me with a ton of dogs.

(PS they also have lots of cats and hamsters and rabbits, too, if that's your thing)

To get started, here's some info from Adopt a Pet about pet adoption, itself:


Commonly Asked Questions About Pet Adoption

Q: Although there are literally millions of pets in shelters, pounds, and other 'temporary housing,' many pet owners-to-be don't think about adoption when they're looking for their new four-legged friend. Why do you think that is, and what can be done to turn that around?

A: Many people who want to get a pet just are not aware of how many pets are available at shelters. They might also have the misconception that pets are shelters might be there because there was a problem with the animal. In fact, most pets end up in shelters not because of any problem pet behavior, but because an owner died, moved, or simply didn't have the time or money to care for the animal. In some cases animals are lost and never found by their owners. These animals are healthy and very eager to please. Rescues pets are wonderful- just ask anyone who has one.

Some people are seeking purebred animals or puppies and think these are not available in shelters. In fact, nearly a quarter of all animals in shelters are purebred. Often someone buys an expensive purebred animal and then attempts to breed that animal to recoup their money. Often these puppies or kittens are not placed in homes, and end up in the shelter. Puppies and kittens often up in shelters as well, but it is important to note that your animals, especially puppies, require a lot of work and training and can be quite destructive (peeing on the carpet or chewing shoes). Puppies are great but often people are much happier getting a dog who is older, and whose size and temperament is a known quantity.

With Adopt-a-Pet.com and without even leaving their home, people can search all their local pets and see pictures and descriptions of the animals. This way, they can find the exact pet they want, call the animal shelter or rescue group, and get information on how to adopt that specific animal.

Q: What are the 5 most important things a potential adopter should consider when choosing their new pet?

A: We actually have a blog post on this highlighting the top 10 things we believe are important when adopting. Here are five, the rest can be located by visiting this page.

1. You need to make a real commitment to care for your pet for its entire life.

2. Verify in advance that you’re allowed to keep a pet where you live.

3. Never adopt a pet on a whim or because you feel it’s love-at-first-sight

4. Provide sufficient exercise and stimulation during the first few weeks, this will help the pet adjust.

5. Make any necessary modifications to your yard and fence to provide for your pet’s safety.

Q: What are 5 positive aspects of pet adoption, and why is it a good option?

A: 1. When you adopt an adult animal, you can see his/her size and temperament. This helps ensure that the pet is right for you and your family.

2. It feels great to know you have saved an animals' life and everyone you meet will give you kudos for that for years to come.

3. Adopted pets are very loyal and know they have been given a new home.

4. Adopting a pet can be an important lesson to teach your children-- both about the value of life, and also about civic responsibility and even recycling- in this case recycling a living and loving animal into a new home.

5. Choosing a mixed breed animal can help avoid many of the genetic health problems that have developed in purebred animal due overbreeding and inbreeding.

Q: If someone reading this isn't in a position to adopt a pet right at this time, but still wants to help homeless pets, what are 5 things he or she can do to get involved?

A: 1. People can do Social PETworking! They can run a search on Adopt-a-Pet.com, find a pet they want to help get exposure for, and use the share tools on our site to post the pet link on their Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or other social network page. Or, they can email the link of a pet in need form our site to their friends.

2. They can place a link/graphic or even a search widget for Adopt-a-Pet.com on their personal website to encourage they users to see pets in need at local shelters.

3. People can add their info to our volunteer database so shelters who need volunteers can find them.

4. People can search Adopt-a-Pet.com to find a local shelter, and make a cash donation to that shelter to help them with the costs of housing, feeding and medical care of shelter animals.

5. People can encourage other pet owners to spay or neuter their pet to help prevent unwanted births.

Stay tuned for the next post with some information on what Adopt-a-Pet does to help and some highlights of their organization!

Save a Dog

I don't know how I didn't hear about this when it happened, but recently I read about Guillermo Vargas's art exhibit in Nicaragua. For those of you who managed also to miss it, the exhibit apparently featured a stray, malnourished dog tied to one wall of the gallery, with a bowl of food just out of his reach. Spectators were instructed not to feed or otherwise assist the dog, and it has never really been confirmed whether the dog was shown as being malnourished during gallery hours but then fed and properly cared for at night, or if the whole thing was as extreme as some news outlets have made it out to be.

It has also never been confirmed if the dog actually died or ran away from the gallery. Vargas has been quoted as saying that the purpose of the exhibit was to expose the hypocrisy of people focusing the center of their attention on a starving dog in a gallery as part of an exhibit, but merely walking by or ignoring starving dogs on the streets.

Either way, whether you agree with the exhibit or not, there's no denying that animal overpopulation is a horrible problem that doesn't get as much attention as it deserves. Of course not everyone wants to adopt a dog from a shelter, when it may not be a purebred or when they can't instill their own training in its upbrining, but buying dogs from pet stores is unacceptable and people should either buy directly from breeders or adopt stray dogs. Pet stores get most of their dogs from puppy mills which essentially stack cages one on top of the other, allowing the animals to defecate all over one another, interbreed their animals with members of their own litters, and are sometimes even killed when their fertility wanes. [Sources]

That's why I wanted to encourage everyone to visit Save a Dog, Inc. It's a Massachusetts-based humane society that focuses on abandoned dogs. On their website, you can sign a petition in support of the MA state bill (H.344) to end devocalization, a terrible process by which dogs' vocal chords are cut or otherwise altered to decrease barking.

Or, if you're thinking of adopting a dog...you can do that too ;).

If I had somewhere to keep him, I personally would bring home Jeff...he melts my heart:

Reuniting...

...and it feels so good.

Best part of tomorrow? Going home to see my pup!!!

Wishlist

Tis the season...to be thinking about giving, not the things that I am selfishly obsessing about every day. And that's okay...I'm kind of a master gift-maker and picker-outer, as current and past boyfriends, my parents, friends, the mailman, etc. can attest. But just 'cause a girl's gotta give doesn't mean she still can't secretly fantasize about what's been occupying her thoughts lately (and then share it with all of you), right?

Thus, here is my Holiday 2009 Wishlist of Things I Will Most Likely Never Have Anytime Soon...But It's Fun to Dream About

1. My Goldendoodle Puppy Named George Eliot

It's no secret that with surprisingly rapidity lately, my biological desires to make babies have been being phased out by my mental desire to maintain a childless existence for many, many more years. However, this urge has not simply vanished or dissipated...it has manifested itself into puppies. I am obsessed with puppies the way most people are obsessed with babies. There's no way I can wait another year and a half until graduation to obtain one. I think I may have to get one on the fly and somehow keep it at my parents' house while I then focus my career and/or grad school search around finding a place to live which will allow George Eliot to remain in my life as my faithful companion.

2. iTrip So That I Can Stop Listening to the Same 5 CDs in My Car On Repeat


Anyone who drives with me knows the low-down when it comes to music in my car...I mean, besides the fact that I am DJ, all the time, and it's tough shit for everyone else. But other than that, the CD playing-system in my car, with my 6-disc changer, works like this: 5 very special-to-my-heart, tried-and-true CDs that will always have something for me on my three hour drives home from college...or half hour drives to anything resembling civilization outside Williamstown...will always reside in the first 5 slots of my CD changer. These CDs are referred to as the "Tenured Slots," and they cannot be moved around or taken out except to risk of great harm to whoever tries to move them around. However, I do allow some leeway on CD Slot Number 6, which is known as the Visiting Professor Slot. This slot can incorporate anything from C.'s or Real Life Dan Humphrey's penchant for Taylor Swift, to L.'s hip-hop that seems to be growing on me, to CDs I've made myself to try out but have a sneaking suspicion won't make it to tenure. It's a RARE, RARE case when a tenured slot gets retired to make room for a Visiting Professor slot that just really impressed me.

Anyways, this is the way music works in my car. But lately, I've simply been growing bored of my tenured CDs. And the FM adaptor I've had for four years only works if you plug it in, hold it at approximately a 40 degree angle, wind the cord around it once, hop up and down on one foot, knock three times, etc. etc.

Also, I .actually may or may not have bought this yesterday, no longer rendering it a Wishlist item, but more of a Recent Purchase. Oops.

3. Tall Uggs

I know that, if I were to obtain these beautiful, beautiful displays of perfect footwear, they'd be ruined in one week of harsh Williamstown winters replete with feet of snow, stubbornly persistent slush, and more salt than the ocean. But I DON'T CARE. They are lovely and since this is the first year I've ever owned a pair of skinny jeans, they're almost essential.

4. J. Crew Wool Duffle Coat in Camel


Okay, so while making a case that ANY of these items are "justified" would probably be tough, this one possibly could almost be considered to be so. I currently do my Castalina Bandolino cognac riding boots a disservice every time I pair them with my black North Face fleece, but at least it's considered New England College Chic. However, when the skirts and tights and flats come out, the North Face isn't going to cut it. Plus, this coat would bring out my brown eyes...and it's lined with Thinsulate! And it's pretty...and I love it...

5. A(nother) Haircut

Must...resist....

6. A New Bathing Suit for L.'s and My Spring Break Trip to Hawaii

Except I'd want this Victoria's Secret Push Up Halter Top and Double-String Bottom suit in Jade, which is the most beautiful green I've ever seen and perfect for brunettes. Victoria's Secret has a flash player on their website so they wouldn't let me copy and paste the Jade suit. Boo. Check it out!

Maybe I'll send L. the link to this post before Christmas...he he he.

What is everyone else salivating over this holiday season?